WOODWARD — Van Meter tested the Woodward-Granger volleyball team early, but could fend off the Hawks only so long, as the hosts rolled to a 3-0 sweep in West Central Conference play Tuesday.
“We started a little tight,” W-G head coach Meg Jackson admitted. “Van Meter beat Des Moines Christian in a tournament and is really improved and they came out after us right off the bat.
“I really think it was just a case of us being a little nervous at first,” she added. “Once we finally calmed down we started playing hard. When we do that we play much looser and it allowed us to run our offense and after that it was just making sure we didn’t make silly mistakes.”
The Bulldogs played the Hawks close in the first game before falling, 25-21. The loss seemed to sap some of the energy from the guests, as W-G posted a 25-14 win in game two before completing the sweep with a 25-9 win in game three.
The victories lift W-G to 16-7 overall and 4-0 in WCC play while Van Meter fell to 9-5 overall and 3-1 in the conference.
Bree Lesch was a perfect 25-of-25 serving with four aces, with Riley Kirton 11-12-2, Olivia McCune 10-11-2 and Kara Bodensteiner 7-of-7.
McCune led W-G with 13 kills, with Lesch and Mary Hansen tallying eight kills apiece, with 13 assists supplied by Hansen and 10 by Alyssa Bice. McCune had two blocks, with Hansen, Bice and Anna Nelson each recording one block.
The defense was led by the 26 digs tallied by Lesch, with Bodensteiner tallying 23 digs.
W-G is idle until a visit from Madrid September 29. The match will be a “Cancer Awareness” contest, with fans of both teams asked to wear blue to signify the battle against all forms of the disease. A public dinner will be served in the cafeteria beginning a 4:30 p.m, with a silent auction to be held later in the evening. The items up for bid will be displayed in the area outside the gym doors.
